Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-10-16

the wager on his account, but to hurry ON
to the appointed rendezvous and thus win
the bet, and be would follow after he had
become rested bit, and help to drain the
Jug the others would have to fill.
Hineman sat down on the edge of the
little ravine to rest, and the remainder OF
the party hurried on to town. They had
barely got beyond hearing, when Hineman
was startled by a slight noise behind him,
and OF looking around he was Mortified mt
seeing tall figure, robed from neck to
heels in white, standing within few feet
of him. The frightened man managed TO
call out, "Who's there?" to which muf-
fed voice made answer that it was the
spirit of John Gamble who had been
murdered close by. Hineman managed to
screw up courage enough to ask who COM
mitted the crime, when the spirit" re-
piled, "Leban Mercer" The white clad
figure then stole slowly and sOftely away,
and Hineman lost no time in getting upon
his legs and hurrying to town. He made
his appearance on the Public Square more
dead than alive, but after a pull or two at
the Jug, managed to relate to his COM
panions what had occurred. The next
morning a party visited the ravire, and
after a thorough search of the locality, sue
ceeded in discovering some articles which
were recognized as belonging to the muir
dered man.
The day following this Mercer came up
TO New Martinsville, and it was agreed
that Hineman should be given an oppor-
tunity TO talk to him alone, in the hope
that confession might he wrung from
him. Hineman accordingly called Mer-
Ger into the little back parlor of his house
and was proceeding to question him, and
was in fair way to accomplish his object,
when Mrs. Hineman, who was cognizant OF
husbands aim and who feared that Mer-
Ger might also kill him, broke open the
the door of the apartment and brought the
inquisition to an abrupt termination.
Mercer was then arrested by the authori-
ties and brought to trial, he being defended
by the present Judge Alpheus F. Hay
mond, while the venerable Judge G. w.
Thompson, of Ohio county, now 81 years
ofage, sat upon the bench. The Prosecut-
ing Attorney was the father of Sep Hall,
of New Martinsville, now deceased. A
long and closely contested legal battle was
IOuR0I, DuL uesplJt Tue uluuuSI Cnuoo'oio
of the State it was impossible to obtain d.
rect proof of the guilt of the accused. 1t
was thought that the man who had played
the ghost to John Hineman might have
been an eyewitness to the murder, and
have taken the peculiar method he did TO
bring the murderer to justice without COM
promising himself, but the search for this
party was fruitless one, and verdict of
not guilty was returned by the jury.
Mercer continued to live in the vicinity
of New Martinsville for many years, but
he was always looked upon with suspicion,
and he led blasted life, with no friends
and apparently prey to remorse. The
| little ravine where John Hineman saw the
"ghost" is known to this day as Gamble
hollow, from the belongings of the muir
dered man so peculiarly revealed therein.
Hineman's tate was a most peculiar one.
His meeting with the ghost" and the
other circumstances connected with the
crime, preyed upon his mind to such an
extent that his hair turned sivery white,
and he began to waste away, and finally
died, az direct result, as every one be-
lieved, OF the scare he received on the
night of the corn husking. Hineman came
to New Martinsville from Wellsburg, and
perhaps some Of the older residents of that
place may be able to recall him.